BOARD  OF  HEALTH, 


or  nqpjh  amiia 


THOMAS  F.  \         M 
CONSTITUTOR  * 


.       •• 


AND 


RULES  OF  ORDER 


OF    THE 


MEDICAL    SOCIETY 


01'     THE 


i 


STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


■■t^n^^PSi^^fAJJifio^ 


t-ALKM.    N.    C. 

L.    V.    ic    K.    V.    BLUM,    PKINTEKS 


CONSTITUTION 


AND 


RULES  OF  ORDER 


OF   THE 


MEDICAL  SOCIETY 


OF   THE 


STATE   OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


SALEM  N.  C. 

L.    V.  4  E.  T.   BLUM     PKINTKBS) 
1877. 


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http://www.archive.org/details/constitutionruleOOmedi 


CONSTITUTION. 


ARTICLE  I.— Title  of  the  Society. 

Tho  title  of  the  Society  shall  bo  "  The  Medical  Society  or  thk 
State  or  North  Carolina. " 

ARTICLE   IL—  The   Objects  of  the  Society. 

The  objects  of  this  Society  shall  be  the  advancement  of  medical 
knowledge,  iho  elevation  of  professional  character,  and  the  promo- 
tion of  all  measures  of  a  professional  nature  that  are  adapted  to 
the  relief  of  suffering  humanity,  and  to  improve  the  health  and 
protect  the  lives  ol  tho  community. 

ARTICLE  ILL— Members  of  the  Society. 

Sec.  1.  This  Society  shall  consist  of  Permanent  Members,  Dele- 
gates, Associates  and  Honorary  Members. 

Sec.  2.  The  Permanent  Members  shall  consist  of  such  regular 
Physicians  as  shall  bo  admitted  on  motion  of  a  member:  Provided, 
he  receives  two-thirds  of  tho  votes  present ;  and  tho  member  thus 
admitted  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  Society.  He 
must  first  sign  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  and  pay  the  assess- 
m  e  n  t. 

Sec.  3  The  Delegates  shall  receive  their  appointmont  from  the 
County  Societies,  and  from  the  Counties  that  have  no  Society  a 
delegate  may  be  appointed  by  the  Profession  of  the  County:  Pro. 
vided,  they  have  as  many  as  two  regular  Practitioners  within  the 
County. 

Sec.  4.  Every  Delegate,  before  admission  to  a  seat  in  the  Society, 
shall  produce  a  certificate  of  delegation,  signed  by  the  President 
or  Secretary  of  the  County  Society  or  Association,  and  shall  sign 
the  Constitution  and  pay  tho  assessment. 

Sec.  5.  Each  Delegate  shall  hold  his  appointment  for  one  year,  or 
until  another  is  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

Sec.  6.  Every  member  of  a  County  Society  shall  bo  an  Associate 
Member  of  the  State  Medical  Society. 


Sec.  7.  An  Associate  Momber  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privil- 
eges  of  attending  upon  the  deliberations  of  tho  Society,  and  take 
part  in  its  discussions,  but  shall  not  be  allowed  to  voie,  nor  shall 
he  be  eligiblo  to  office. 

ARTICLE  IV.—  Of  the  Officers. 

Sec.  1.  The  officers  of  this  Society  shall  be  a  President,  four  Vice 
Presidents,  a  Corresponding  and  Recording  Secretary,  and  Treas- 
urer. 

Sec.  2.  A  Committee  composed  of  five  members  shall  be  appointed 
by  the  President  to  nominate  officers  and  honorary  members,  arid 
those  nominations  shall  be  voted  on  viva  voce. 


Sec.  3.  None  but  permanent  members  and  delegates  shall  be 
eligible  to  tho  office  of  President,  Vice  President,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 

Sec.  4.  There  shall  be  annually  appointed  an  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  three  members,  whose  duties  shall  be  to  investigate  the 
professional  status  of  members  of  this  Society.  Their  duty  shall 
comprehend  the  reports  of  any  violation  of  the  Code  of  Medical 
Ethics,  or  any  irregularity  either  of  members  or  auxiliary  Socie- 
ties, and  also  to  make  such  recommendations  for  the  improvement 
of  the  profession  of  tho  State  as  they  may  deem  proper. 

ARTICLE  V.— Duties  of  the  Officers. 

Sec.  1.  The  President  shall  preside  at  the  meeting,  preserve  or- 
der, and  perform  such  other  duties  as  custom  and  parliamentary 
usage  may  require.  He  shall  not  be  eligible  for  two  terms  in  suc- 
cession. 

Sec.  2.  The  Vice  Presidents,  when  called  upon,  shall  assist  the 
President  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  and  during  the  absence, 
and  at  the  request  of  the  President,  one  of  them  shall  officiate  in 
his  place.     They  shall  not  be  eligible  for  two  terms  in  succession. 

Sec.  3.  The  Corresponding  and  Recording  Secretary  shall  con- 
duct the  correspondence,  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  usually 
appertain  to  that  office  ;  and  shall  keep  correct  minutes  of  tho  pro- 
ceedings of  tho  Society,  and  shall  fairly  transcribe  the  same,  when 


approved,  in  a  book  to  bo  kept  for  the  purpose.  He  shall  have 
chargo  of  all  papers  belonging  to  the  Society,  other  than  those  ap- 
pertaining to  the  Treasurer  ;  and  shall  give  due  notice  of  the  an- 
nual meetings,  and  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the  Society 
may  from  year  to  year  determine. 

Sec.  4.  The  Treasurer  shall  receive  all  moneys  belonging  to  the 
Society  and  give  receipts  for  all  sums  paid  into  his  hands  to  the 
individual  paying  the  same,  and  disburse  them  as  directed,  pre- 
serving vouchers  for  the  same.  He  shall  annually  present  a  state- 
ment of  the  finances  to  the  Society,  which  shall  be  referred  to  a 
committee  of  three  delegates  to  be  audited. 

AKTICLB  VI.—  Of  the   County  Societies. 

Sec.  1.  The  members  of  the  profession  in  any  county  of  this 
State,  who  form  themselves  into  a  County  Society,  may  become 
auxiliary  to  this  Society :  Provided,  That  all  tho  regular  practi- 
tioners in  the  County  have  been  invited  to  unite  in  its  organiza- 
tion :  and,  provided,  that  the  constitution  and  laws  of  such  Society 
do  not  contravene  those  of  the  Stato  Society. 

Sec.  2.  No  one  shall  be  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  County 
SocietjT,  unless  he  is  either  a  graduate  in  medicine  of  some  respec- 
table Medical  School,  or  has  been  a  practitioner  for  at  least  five 
years;  and  who,  moreover,  is  in  good  moral  and  professional 
standing  in  the  place  whore  he  resides,  and  is  a  regular  practitioner. 

Sec.  3.  Any  physician  who  shall  procure  a  patent  for  a  remedy, 
or  instrument  of  surgery,  or  who  shall  hereafter  give  a  certificate 
in  favor  of  a  patent  remedy,  or  instrument,  shall  be  deemed  dis- 
qualified from  becoming  a  member  of  a  County  Society. 

Sec.  4.  As  soon  as  the  County  Society  is  organizod,  the  Secre- 
tary thereof  shall  transmit  to  the  Corresponding  and  Becording 
Secretary  one  copy  of  tho  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  with  the 
names  of  their  officers  and  members.  The  Society  shall  be  author- 
ized to  elect  one  dolegate  to  tho  State  Society  for  every  five  of  its 
members. 

Sec.  5.  Every  County  Society  shall  enforce  the  observance  by 
its  members  of  the  Code  of  Ethics  adopted  by  the  State  Society, 
and  they  shall  be  authorized  to  censure  or  expel  any  member  con- 
victed of  violating  its  provisions. 


Sec.  6.  A  member  of  the  County  Society  who  is  censured  or  ex- 
pelled, shall  have  a  right  to  appeal  to  the  State  Society. 

Sec.  7.  A  member  who  is  expelled  shall  bo  debarred  from  the 
rights  of  consultation,  or  the  privileges  of  professional  intercourse 
with  any  member  of  the  State  Society. 

Sec.  8.  The  County  Societies  shall  report  annually  to  the  State 
Society  a  list  of  their  officers  and  members,  any  new  rules  which 
they  may  adopt,  and  such  other  mattors  as  they  may  deem  inter- 
esting. 

Sec.  9.  The  County  Society  shall  hold  at  least  two  meetings  in 
each  year. 

Sec.  10.  If  any  County  Medical  Society  shall  neglect  to  perform 
all  such  acts  as  may  be  required  to  be  done  by  the  laws  of  the 
State  Society,  or  shall  be  guilty  of  conduct  derogatory  to  the 
honor  of  the  Medical  profession,  or  shall  oppose  or  neglect  to  com- 
ply with  the  laws  of  the  Stale  Society,  such  County  Society  shall, 
during  such  delinquency,  have  their  privileges,  as  a  portion  of  the 
State  Society,  suspended,  and  their  delegates  shall  not  be  entitled 
to  a  seat  in  the  State  Society. 

AETICLE  VII.— Meeting  of  the  Society. 

The  Society  shall  hold  an  Annual  Meeting.  The  time  and  place 
of  meeting  shall  be  determined,  for  each  succeeding  year,  by  a 
vote  of  the  Society. 

AETICLE  VIIL—  Of  the  Funds  of  the  Society. 

Sec.  1. — Funds  for  dofraying  the  current  expenses  of  the  Society 
shall  be  raised  by  annual  assessments  on  permanent  members  and 
County  or  Districl  Societies,  in  connection  with  the  State  Society. 

Sec.  2.  Each  permanent  member,  after  being  duly  elected,  and 
having  signed  the  Constitution,  shall  pay  the  sum  of  five  dollars  as 
an  admission  fee,  and  be  subject  to  the  annual  assessment  of  the 
Society,  with  the  exception  of  the  assessment  for  the  year  of  his 
admission. 

Sec.  3.  Should  a  permanent  member  fail  to  pay  the  assessments 
two  successive  years,  after  having  been  notified  by  the  Treasurer 
of  his  delinquencies,  his  name  shall  be  stricken  from  the  list  of 
members. 


Sec.  4.  Each  County  or  District  Society  Bliall  pay  through  the 
hands  of  its  Delegate  or  Delegates,  the  annual  assessment ;  and  in 
case  such  County  or  District  Society  is  not  represented,  it  shall  be 
the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  forward  an  account  of  said  assess- 
ment to  the  Secretary  or  Treasurer  of  the  County  or  District 
Soeiety  for  collection. 

Sec.  5,  Should  a  County  or  District  Society,  in  connection  with 
this  Society,  fail  to  pay  tho  annual  assessment  two  successive 
years,  after  having  been  notified  by  I  he  Treasurer  of  its  delin- 
quencies, its  right  of  representation  in  this  Society  shall  be  sus- 
pended until  said  assessments  are  paid. 

ARTICLE  IX.—  Code  of  Ethics. 

This  Society  adopts,  as  a  part  of  its  regulations,  that  part  of  the 
Code  of  Ethics  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  which  it  has 
published  by  its  order. 

ARTICLE  X. — Provisions  for  Amendments. 

Every  proposal  for  altering  or  amending  this  Constitution  shall 
be  made  in  writing;  and  if  such  alteration  or  amondment  receives 
the  unanimous  vote  of  the  members  present,  it  shall  be  adopted  ; 
but,  if  objections  bo  made,  the  alteration  or  amendment  shall  lie 
over  until  the  nest  annual  meeting,  when,  if  it  receives  the  voto  of 
two-thirds  of  the  voters  present,  it  shall  be  adopted. 


RULES  OF  ORDER. 


1st.  The  President,  or  in  his  absence,  the  Vice-President,  shall 
call  the  Society  to  order  ;  or  in  case  of  the  absence  of  both  these 
officers,  a  presiding  officer  shall  bo  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the 
members  present. 

2d.  The  appointmont  of  a  Committee  to  examine  the  Creden- 
tials of  Delegates. 

3d.  The  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Credentials;  also  claims 
of  those  desiring  to  become  permanent  members. 

4th.  Calling  Roll. 

5th.  Reading  minutes  of  tho  preceding  meeting. 

6th.  Any  business  requiring  early  consideration  may,  by  permis- 
sion, be  introduced. 

7th.  Reports  from  County  Societies. 

8th.  Correspondence  shall  be  read  by  the  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary. 

9th.  Written  Communications  upon  Medical  subjects  may  be 
read  and  discussed. 

10th.  Oral  Communications  may  be  read  and  discussed. 

11th.  Election  of  Officers. 

12th.  The  selection  of  a  place  for  the  nest  annual  meeting  of 
the  Society. 

13th.  Unfinished  and  Miscellaneous  business. 

14th.  Adjournment. 


